Bad Kid: A Memoir (P.S.

by David Crabb

Discovering George Michael's Faith confirmed for David Crabb what every bully already knew: he was gay. What saved him from high school was finding a group of outlandish friends who reveled in being outsiders. David found himself enmeshed with misfits: wearing black, cutting class, staying out all night, drinking, tripping, chain-smoking, idolizing the Pet Shop Boys—and learning lessons about life and love along the way.

Richly detailed with nineties pop-culture, and including black-and-white photos throughout, Bad Kid is as laugh-out-loud funny as it is poignant. David Crabb's journey through adolescence captures the essence of every person's struggle to understand his or her true self.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, LGBT, Biography, Queer, Biography Memoir, Music

355 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 19, 2015

Reviews

[else fine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cringe-inducing, heart-wrenching, hilarious, perfect. I can't wait until it actually comes out and I can force everyone I know to read it.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this ARC from Our Town Books in Jacksonville IL.

Memoirs are not my usual reading material; I'm a scifi/fantasy fangrrl. It was offered with "this might be interesting " ...because I like offbeat books. It was about partying & music in the 80's...and finding your place to belong.
I was a little older than the group in the book, but I lived in southern Texas; I've been to San Antonio & Seguin & New Braunfels. I had two separate groups of friends that didn't know each other for years. I went to the punk club Mars in Corpus Christi with one bunch. I did a perfect two-step at the Yellow Rose with a different group. And I had a best guy friend who was gay & his Christian mom didn't know.

This bittersweet memoir is so well-written, so full of life that I could barely put it down for work. David Crabbe knows who he isn't...and that is a good place to start looking for one's own people. He talks about the loneliness of having no one to talk to...and the need to get along with family. He talks about peer pressure and the need to fit in. He talks about trying to reconcile his needs with the inability to talk about the most important realization in his life...coming out gay. This is a book about friendship & drugs; how he coped and never gave up...even when others gave up on him. I found memories of my friends through the years in every chapter; crazy parties, heartfelt conversations that could never be repeated, and issues that must be resolved. I was the straight girl that loves my alternative friends; they had so much heart that the world tried to burn out of them. This book made me laugh and remember all the chaos of my 20's...in a good way. This book is awesome.

[Eve Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I can't recommend this book enough, for anyone who's queer, really. Full disclosure: I went to high school with David, in San Antonio. But I was two school years ahead of him, and in true narcissistic teenager fashion I didn't really process that there were still people left behind in high school after I left. So while I went to The Bonham, I went to to F/X, I ate lots of breakfast tacos and was disturbed and aware of SHARPS as a thing that really existed in San Antonio in the 80s and 90s. But most of my drug experimentation didn't occur till college, and I lost touch with David until Facebook. I had no idea he wound up in Seguin. Until I got to see his one man, live show by the same name in New York City. But that show was only a small fraction of the story, and mostly the funny parts. The book is much heavier, much more emotional, much more heartbreaking. I haven't been so upset by the death of a "character" as I was when I learned about the fate of "Max" since I read Harry Potter 7 and endured the death of Dobby.

This book is so so good. So painful at times, hysterically funny at others, and very moving. Back in high school I thought David and "Greg" were cool and had it all together, and I was so impressed that they were openly gay. But again - narcissistic teenager. Turns out, he was just as insecure and confused and searching as I was inside. Probably we all were.

[Dennis Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought David’s story was one of the best coming of gay-ge memoirs I’ve ever read. If you were young, queer or a misfit in the early 90s, you may find yourself in this book. If you weren’t, the book immerses you in so much detail that it doesn’t matter. With so much music—omg Book of Love—and a few epic photos as proof and artifacts, just all of it really captures some pretty incredible moments in time.

If you like big pickles, you will love this book.

[Jule · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastically and beautifully written, I challenge anyone not to relate to this story and it's characters completely and with genuine warmth.

It left me feeling like I know and love these people myself, and wanting to know more of the story.

The depth of feeling in these pages is keenly felt, and abundantly recognisable, yet presented with such humour and self-deprecation as to subtly slip by.

Clever, genuine, and brilliantly readable. One of the best books I've read.

[Ruthie Sellers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly enjoyed! not once did the author seem to cry "poor me feel sorry for me!" He was very honest, humurous and very much willing to take responsibility for his young misguided actions. I hope he is genuinely happy and now and I would gladly read another memoir by him again. Perhaps life during/after college? Thank you Goodreads, for picking me to review this charming title.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made my heart ache and my stomach hurt (from laughing). David's teenage years feature an amazing cast of characters while he figures out who he is and survives all the substances he ingests. And believe me, there are many! This is a sweet, heartfelt story and I can't wait to read more from this fantastic storyteller.

[Sean Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh god, this book was cringeworthy only because it was so relatable. A hilarious read.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book totally feels like home! David Crabb, if we'd gone to the same high school, we would have 100% been friends. Favorite line so far: "There's really nothing sadder than goth kids in a warm-weather climate." Ha! So, so true.

Okay, so...I don't even know where to start, except to say that...all of this was so, so familiar to me. I was really only an honorary "bad kid"--my friend Alli described me as straight edge to other people, and I guess I kind of was, only not out of any sort of need to make a statement, but because at the time I had zero interest in sex and had near pathological fears of death, losing control in any way, and getting in trouble with my parents (though getting in trouble with other authority figures didn't bother me in the least, go figure)--but I was one of a small crowd of slightly damaged, music-obsessed goth/punk/grunge kids, and we were...kind of each others' families. We all had issues, some of them pretty major, but there was no judgment, and I still feel now like we were all each others' safe places.

My friends' descriptions of acid trips cracked me up, I worried about them coming out to their parents, or taking mysterious drugs at raves from strangers, or getting caught shop lifting, and skinheads freaked me the fuck out after one of my friends dated one and I realized what they stood for, as well as the anger and violence and hatred that went along with them (this still applies). I rolled my eyes at preps and avoided anything that might even slightly resemble school spirit and told myself I would never grow up to be normal or boring or have an office job. HA! Ah, youth!

Crabb tells his story beautifully and compellingly, and I feel like he and his friends were my friends. It's hilarious and absolutely heartbreaking (I sobbed my eyes out near the end), and just inspired so much love in me for the group of misfits I found myself a part of when I really, really needed to feel accepted despite my total weirdness. Like Crabb's friends, we weren't necessarily always good for each other, and there was definitely still a lot of angst, but we loved each other like crazy, and still do.

Plus, all the musical references? So good!

[Mars · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really funny, and I enjoyed myself. It was a relatable book, and the themes were good. This book brought many memories of when I was younger, and how I grew up. The things that he did and thought as a teenager made me cringe so hard only because at some point in my life I thought about the same things. His thought process when discovering his sexuality was something that I could never understand, but this book made me realize the temptations, and struggles that they have to go through. It’s hard to think that this was how an actual person was. All the drugs, and drama makes me feel as if my life is boring. He had a wild life as a teenager and it’s incredible how fast people grow up and how time never stops.

[Esmeralda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book because of how it made grave situations seem lighthearted. My parents were pretty strict about my life so I couldn't really relate to the author, but that didn't make reading it any less fun. I was engaged throughout the entire book and was laughing for most of it. I almost teared up at the end where Max ends up dying because he was someone that had been there for David and supported him. I have never lost anyone close to me, thankfully, but if I had to imagine it, it would be horrible. It did help though that at the very end he sees Greg again, kind of like he's still there and not everything has changed. This book had my emotions going in all directions (in a good way) and I would definitely read it again in the future.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Crabb’s memoir is personal, sweet, comedic, cringy and honest.

We all go through an awkward, searching teenage phase, Crabb’s experience happens to be astoundingly heightened being gay and goth while surrounded by conservative Texas, divorced Texas and drugs...all the drugs. Even if you weren’t goth or gay, it’s wonderful commiserate in the difficult and messy identify-finding narratives that most people go through. I laughed out loud, teared up, and genuinely want to hug Crabb’s mother.

A great read and if you listen to the audiobook, Crabb reads it himself.

[Kristal Alvarez - Murillo]

I actually like this book. I usually hate reading the first chapter of books because they are boring but this one is actually funny. I also like this book because I feel like there are a lot of kids that go through bullying and feeling like an outsider. He let's us see their perspective and how they feel. I also liked how he showed us that Friends are how you survive high school.

[Brian J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humorous, well-written narrative memoir from Risk! storyteller David Crabb. Brings back a lot of my own memories of growing up in the 90s—the music, the style, the cliques, the pop culture. What a great time that was.

[Michelle P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite having some heavy underlying topics in the story, David Crabb manages to keep it lighthearted and humorous. His jokes and overall humor were my one of my favorite things about the book. My life is unlike his in so many ways, too, so it was cool reading about the life and seeing the perspective of someone who normalizes things that I don't and who doesn't normalize things that are the usual for me. Even with these major differences, his stories of teenage life and awkwardness were still relatable. I really enjoyed reading about all his crazy life stories!

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and poignant. Crabb is a master storyteller.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and poignant. Wish I could nominate for high school SPoT list but probably not appropriate for school lists.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally seen on Emily Reads Everything

Bad Kid Cover
Bad Kid: A Memoir on Growing up Goth & Gay in Texas
By David Crabb

Publication date: May 2015

This isn't my normal kind of book. I don't read too many memoirs. I'm not opposed to them but I usually read more fiction. If all memoirs are as funny as this one was, I will definitely be reading more.

Just like the title says, David Crabb is gay and goth and growing up in San Antonio, Texas. David falls in love with the cute boy in his gym class the moment he sets eyes on him. They become fast friends, bonding over their mutual differences. Together they sneak out at night, party at clubs they are too young to enter legally, meet the wrong sort of people and get in tons of trouble. Its a coming of age story and a story about being an outcast. David has a long, hard struggle to figure out where he belongs. This book is filled with unrequited love, drug use and unsupervised teenagers. I could tell that I'm getting older because I spent the entire book wondering, "Where are the parents?!?" I also wanted David to wise up and figure out that he had terrible friends who were only interested in themselves. I didn't agree with many of the choices that David made. However, I empathized with his reasons for making them. I won't spoil the ending but I will say that I was satisfied by it. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Judgments aside, this book was hilarious. I actually laughed out loud and piqued the interested of my husband, Mr. Functionally Illiterate. Unfortunately, when he asked I couldn't adequately describe what I found so funny. Its impossible to explain the intensely awkward situations that David manages to get himself into. Yet, he escapes, unscathed, again and again. David masterfully and unapologetically describes his teenage years in all of their embarrassing. cringe -worthy, glory.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you like memoirs, I would highly recommend it.

Other memoirs you might like
A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel
Amateur Night at the Bubblegum Kittikat by Victoria Fedden

**DISCLAIMER**I received this book for free at TLA 2015.

[Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow, when I started reading BAD KID, I didn't factor in the idea that this was a book about a particular place. As a fifty-five year-old man, the Goth phenomenon is not on my radar often, but I do know what it is and have a sense, borne out in this book, that to have been Goth was to be an outcast with a band of outcasts ready to welcome you.
The situation of gay people is generally unchanging, so what I went through growing up was recognizable to me in what David Crabb went through decades later.
But Texas took me by surprise here. The state from which the USA has yet to secede plays a large role in BAD KID, and David Crabb, without being ostentatious about it, conveys a sense of open spaces ultimately pointing to freedom. While he describes the danger he was often in, surrounded by skinheads, he also describes pivotal moments of self-assertion. The action matches the geography, especially at a moment when a pack of skinheads surrounds a house full of slightly less angry skinheads. The skinheads inside (SHARPS, who opposed racism) emerge from the house (calling for the boys inside to surrender up a black friend) and, through sheer presence, cause the bullies to back off and get back in their cars.
This is a car culture. Although grounded by his mother a few times, David is often permitted to get in his car and drive off. He will go hundreds of miles on any given trip. (On Long Island, where I grew up, you CAN'T go a hundred miles, unless you want to pay eight bucks to cross the Throggs Neck Bridge.) One night, he and a friend drive to a slaughterhouse, arriving at dawn. They're on acid, by the way.
While Crabb describes a conformist culture, anybody writing about the America of the last forty years is describing a conformist culture. The difference with Texas is, literally, the sprawl. It may be one of the few places on earth where forces of nature give people more choice than not.
This memoir is well-written and witty, but it is at its most powerful when a universal loneliness acts as muse. The author's account of an unlikely friendship with a SHARP is the heart of the book.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

With an ingratiating style very similar to David Sedaris, performance artist David Crabb's Bad Kid has the ability to describe horrifying events and make them both hilarious and touching. Growing up gay in the early 1990s in San Antonio, Tex., was tough, but Crabb honed his navigation skills and found acceptance among a high school subset of drug-fueled goth kids.

Crabb begins his first day of high school believing he can keep his gayness undercover, but, "By the time fifth-period gym class rolled around, I had never been more sure I was gay," writes Crabb after surreptitiously observing the hyper-masculine junior and senior boys. Gym class is perilous ("Don't look down, don't look down...," he warns himself in the locker room) but it's also where he meets his first friend, Greg.

With Greg by his side, Crabb's circle of friends expands to goth kids who experiment with all forms of getting high. They start with marijuana, ecstasy and tabs of acid, and progress to huffing VCR head cleaner fluid and drinking freon engine coolant from cars. While Crabb tries to figure out if Greg is interested in him romantically, he meets a towering skinhead named Max who professes to be straight but is very tactile. These new friends are "brash, flighty, messy kids" but even when they're reckless and destructive, they're building a support system for each other. The group's drunken misadventures and search for love, thrills and acceptance is not a cautionary tale but an ode to friendships and finding your place in the world.

Discover: An affectionate, candid and evocative memoir about the sloppy, dangerous and exhilarating experiences of teens trying to create their path.

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

BAD KID is so good. This book is very funny in spots. I was trying not to laugh out loud on the airplane yesterday, like this: "It was a sad time made sadder by my leaving, and we all couldn't have been happier to feel so sad about it. If you ever want to see goth kids step up to the plate and own their brand, just give them a reason to say good-bye."

I cruised through it so fast -- but it's also well-constructed. The beginning reads like David Sedaris or that type of humorous writing, which is not my favorite, but as it hits its stride, Crabb continues telling funny stories, but they point to meaning. Toward the end, for instance, he asks, "How could two such bad kids be good for anyone, let alone each other?"

He illustrates really well why certain kids want to join up with alternative culture, and illuminates what it's like to experience learning that he's gay in the environment where he was. Most of all, he takes the story ultimately to a satisfying place that isn't cheesy and also doesn't leave you wondering how/whether he turned out all right.

UPDATED: Upping to 5 stars because I can't stop thinking about it; I keep telling others about it; I'm so contented with how Crabb portrays the subculture I was part of; and my 14-year-old (who tore through it in half a day) also loved it.

[Stay Fetters · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you read one memoir in your life, make it Bad Kid. It will inspire you until the end.

With every story and every emotion, it hits you deep and you feel what he feels.

"I was gay, not Spider-Man."

Growing up in what feels like a foreign land when you're different and coming to terms with your sexual orientation. How will people see you and will it change relationships with family and friends.

Embrace who you are and love it. If you can take something away from David, learn to love you.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir is based on the author's one man show, an author nor show I had never heard of. The book starts out being excellent. A young boy struggled with his sexual identify in the 80's and deals with his family and trying to fit in. I lost interest once the book became a bit too silly which coincided when the author began exploring all of the various drugs he took. The characters were somewhat memorable and outlandish, and some of the exchanges were a bit hard to believe. Overall, it was an interesting read, but one that sadly was not for me.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding, hilarious memoir. David Crabb tells the story of not only discovering his sexuality, but good music and just how many household and automotive products once can get high on. Really engagingly written with laugh-out-loud humor and just enough poignancy to keep it legit.

I saw "Bad Kid" The Show" (and loved it!) and thought that this would just be "the script of the show" but it was SO much more.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Crabb writes an incredible coming-of-age as a gay goth in Texas. The story is so funny, disconcerting, and vulgar that you can't put the book down. In addition to being incredible entertaining, Crabb's telling provides a load of insight into being an outsider: gay clubs, drug-induced adventures, and unintended out-of-control house parties. I don't think a more honest, compelling, and heart-warming story could have been written about such a life of debauchery.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw David Crabb at The Moth in Mesa last month. He was really good on stage. His book was very good too. I like the way he recounts stories live and in writing.
The only parts of this book I didn't enjoy were the ones where he was describing being high or wasted. That got to be a little too much.
I hope he writes another book.

[Sariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I loved about this book so much was that every character was worth getting to know, making it a heartbreak to say goodbye in the end. Because there were so many aspects of the story that anyone with a pulse could relate to, the book never dulled. I genuinely blame my C in Spanish on this book because I simply couldn't put it down.

[Patricia Kaniasty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cringed while reading most of this book.........but I LOVED it! At times I giggled and at other times I cried. Most of the time I was amazed at what this guy put himself through. I would have never survived.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touching and very funny.

A seemingly nice kid trying to find his was in a very narrow world. If you are from Texas or have spent time in small-town Texas, the story is all the more poignant.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing and funny and so true! I got to meet the author at ALA, and I'm so glad I did.